Buzz Out Loud 750: 7 deadly spams

On today's Buzz Out Loud, why "your stupid face" works to get you to install malicious software, why eBay just flat out isn't for small sellers anymore, and why you shouldn't trust your IT guy...or at least not one in three of them. Also, EA releases Creature Creator, people create porny creatures, and EA attempts to crack down. Something about this picture just doesn't add up. Like, how novelty-sized bosoms can even exist on the side of a cow.
Listen now: Download today's podcast

EPISODE 750

One ton ‘Baby’ marks its birth
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7465115.stm

What's behind the stupid face spam scourge?
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/whats-behind-the-stupid-face-spam-scourge/index.html

Electronic transaction reporting slipped into Senate Bill
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/20/1234214

New eBay strategy angers small sellers
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/19/BU9K11C0KS.DTL

AP says Drudge Retort excerpt 'matter' closed; no official policy announced
http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-ap-says-drudge-retort-excerpt-matter-closed-no-official-policy-announce/

One in three IT staff snoops on colleagues
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25263009/

Study: Social networks may subvert ‘digital divide’
http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9973558-2.html

Holograms on handsets by 2010
http://news.cnet.com/2100-1041-6242143.html

Free EA software release spawns ‘Sporn’
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25272162/

White patches on Mars are ice
http://news.cnet.com/White-patches-found-in-Mars-trench-are-ice%2C-scientists-say/2100-11397_3-6242126.html

HD for children!
http://www.nontoxicreviews.com/wordpress/?p=114

VOICE MAIL

Anonymous Statistician
I don't believe Netflix somewhat.

--Christiane
Can't Microsoft easily break Firefox record.

Remy
I have a suggestion for the Firefox coverage.

E-MAIL

Hey JaMoTo

found these photos. thought they were funny:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/damianspain/sets/72157605643949010/

dunno why a cop stopped the Google street map car, though.

Love the show.

---

Buzz Out Loud Crew,
This is in regards to episode 749 about Netflix pulling there profile support. Not just family’s us this feature. My wife I an have three queues set up one for TV show one for Anime shows, and one for Movie. We allocate different amounts of dvds to each queue (6 total across all queues). This allows us to always get a good mixture of dvd types regardless of availability and order of dvd on the queues. With Netflixs pulling this feature organizing and creating a good mixture of dvd will become increasingly hard and more difficult for me. I also think there reason for changing this is weak and not offering an alternative seem like a slap in the face to user like me.

Love the show keep up the good work

--Alan Game Developer from Austin TX

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I was watching CNN this morning, and they reported that ABC News just settled with their employees after receiving complaints that the constant use of crackberries outside work should qualify as overtime...so, maybe Natalie *should* start texting from her work phone, and that Polish bus driver would be a millionaire! LOL, obviously, the assumption is that the "crack-tivity" (ha!) is work-related, but I think that it does bring up a valid point...

Do you guys work outside of work? 'Cuz I know I do all the time, and I never get paid for it, lol. It's *assumed* as part of the job as far as I'm concerned. I'm not 100 percent sure how much work these ABC News folks were actually doing after 5 o'clock, but as a nonbusiness professional, it seems a little "waa-waa" to me.

(after an exhaustive search, I couldn't find the original CNN story, and I am sad to paste the following link (guh!): http://www.nypost.com/seven/06172008/news/regionalnews/abc_news_berrys_hatchet_with_staff_115903.htm )

Love,
Dr. Karl

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Hey Buzz Crew,

The fact that Firefox doesn’t auto update 2.x to 3.0 is rather standard for all software, paid or not. That is, I think if Firefox or any other software automatically performed a major upgrade we would all be complaining about that, especially if it broke plug-ins.

Another Firefox specific reason is for web developers they would probably keep a copy of Firefox 2.x for testing and it would be terribly annoying if every time it started it prompted to upgrade to 3.0.

Keep up the great work,
--Jason

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If AT&T does in fact require the business data plan for Exchange users, this is simply a ploy to get more money out of their customers, and does not reflect higher costs to the carrier in any way:

1) ActiveSync connections to Exchange are simply HTTPS connections to a Web server, on port 443 like any other Web server using SSL. Nothing special has to be done by the data carrier (ISP). If they claim otherwise they are just lying.

2) Because the connections are encrypted with SSL, the ISP shouldn't even be aware that a connection is to an Exchange server unless they specifically go sniffing around to see what is running on the computer being connected to. For AT&T to require that a user switch to a business data plan because they are using Exchange means they have been snooping around to see what is being hosted on the Exchange server (which would not even be on their network), specifically looking for an opportunity to bump customers to a higher rate plan.

3) The 'push' feature of Exchange is done by leaving the HTTPS connection open (though no data is transferred unless e-mail is being actively synchronized) and sending the email over that connection whenever it arrives (or changes) at the Exchange server. This method results in LESS data transfer than a PULL-ONLY type of connection like POP3 or IMAP which has to continually check for new or updated email. It is ludicrous to imply that ActiveSync connections use more data transfer than PULL email systems, because it just isn't true.

The fact is that T-Mobile is allowing Exchange ActiveSync e-mail synchronization to take place on their $5/mo data plan (I and many people I know are doing this now). For AT&T to suggest that they have to charge more for Exchange is just downright deceptive.

--DJ